We were recently invited to an evening with Durham Cricket Club to see what goes on at the T20 games at the Emirates Riverside ground situated in Chester le Street. Not knowing a single fact about cricket I was a little worried the kids would get bored and not have a clue what was going on.

Arrival is from 4.30 with the team starting the cricket match at 6.30 so 2 hours to kill! Upon arrival we spotted lots of food stalls and things to keep little ones entertained and to be honest the time flew by so wasn’t an issue. Plus you were able to get up from the match and wander round which the girls loved as we left halfway to visit the sweet stand and daddy upstairs at work!

The Liontrust Family Zone was there with some great activities for the kids including a batting simulator & bowling speed cage. There were soft play areas too where the girls got to try and catch balls thrown to them and the highlight was watching Chester the Lion wander around shaking hands and high fiving all the kids. Chester’s a gentle giant and was happy to sign autographs, take selfies and chat with all the little ones too – although they did cringe a little when he dabbed!

I half expected something a little like a football match but was completely unprepared for the music blasting out every time someone was caught out or they hit a run (is that what its called?) Can you tell I am still none the wiser and to be honest I didn’t have a clue what was happening half the time until the crowd let out a roar or started clapping etc – it was all very civilized!

The girls very rarely get their faces painted, I don’t know if its an embarrassment thing as they don’t like being center of attention but they watched some other girls get floral rainbows on their faces and both wanted them doing too which got them more into the mood of the night too!

It is not a cheap night by any means and we paid almost £25 for 2 loaded fries, 1 plain fries, 1 nachos and 4 cartons of juice. It was another £9.60 for 2 Dark Fruit! So if you go be prepared to pay, or at least listen to those around you talk about the prices as we had to about someone refusing to pay £3.60 for a coke! lol

Overall it was a good night and most of all the kids enjoyed themselves. Although they didn’t know the first thing about cricket it was enjoyable all the same as the music was loud and there was plenty to do. Would I go back…probably not but I know the kids would and that’s what it was all about!